Vinny Curry: Moving on Up
Week six of the college football season went as expected, for the most part. We have reached the midway point of the 2011 season and are beginning to see who will stand out and who will fall to the back of pack for the 2012 NFL Draft. This week featured some very good performances for names that aren’t to be expected. Here’s the list of who helped and hurt themselves this week.
RISING
Vinny Curry, DE, Marshall
Vinny Curry is quietly having a solid senior season for the Thundering Herd. The undersized DE put on a display on Saturday against UCF with 8 tackles, 2 sacks, and 4.5 TFL. Curry is one of the top sack artist in college football with six on the season and figures to go no later than the 2nd round in the 2012 NFL Draft.
Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia
Is there a reason why Geno Smith’s name hasn’t been among the Heisman contenders, yet? The junior quarterback destroyed the UCONN secondary on his way to 450 yards and 4 TD’s. Smith has 1,709 yards passing to go along with 12 TD’s to 3 INT’s for the 5-1 Mountaineers.
Frank Alexander, DE, Oklahoma
Frank Alexander often gets overlooked but he is probably the Sooners most consistent defender. Alexander dominated the Texas offensive line on his way to 6 tackles, 3 sacks, and 4 TFL in a win. The senior DE is among the top defenders in the country in sacks with 5.5 following a seven sack 2010 season. Alexander was considered a day three pick but his play thus far may push him into day two of the 2012 NFL Draft.
Lamar Miller, RB, Miami
The redshirt sophomore is making it tough not to consider him with the likes of Trent Richardson. His enormous skill set was on display on Saturday versus Virginia Tech when he ran 18 times for 166 yards and a TD. He also added three catches for 23 yards and another score. Miller speed is the first thing you notice but it’s his power that makes him dangerous. He was very rarely brought down on first contact which will intrigue scouts.
Lavonte David, LB, Nebraska
David will be a WILL LB in the NFL, as he doesn’t possess the strength to be exposed on the strong side. He has been the lone bright spot on a bad Nebraska defense in 2011. He turned the game around with his forced fumble early in the third quarter against OSU. He finished with 13 tackles and a TFL. He has 58 tackles and 2 sacks on the season and is likely an early day two selection next April.
Mike Adams, T, Ohio State
Mike Adams returned from his five game suspension in impressive fashion. He locked down the left side for the Buckeyes and instantly made the OSU offensive line a better unit. Adams is probably a right tackle in the NFL but could work on the left side with experience. His mixture of size and athleticism will make him an interesting prospect in 2012. He is a second round pick at this point and could make his way into the first round as the draft draws near.
Rueben Randle, WR, LSU
Randle is often overshadowed by the spectacular defensive prospects on LSU. The 6’4 junior WR has quietly emerged as a consistent threat while still learning to play the position. He had 4 catches for 127 yards and a TD against Florida on Saturday. He doesn’t get a ton of targets but makes the most of each one and should be a day two pick if he decides to declare.
FALLING
Miami's size exposed Jayron Hosley
Jayron Hosley, CB, Virginia Tech
Jayron Hosley was abused by the bigger Miami receivers on Saturday and his poor tackling technique was exposed. After a solid game against Clemson last Saturday he appeared overmatched by the height of Miami’s receivers. He whiffed on several tackles and doesn’t appear the most willing to stick his nose in on run support. Not a good effort by someone being talked about as a first round pick. Hosley is still a day one pick but will need to show in the coming weeks that he can handle the bigger receivers.
Sean Spence, LB, Miami
Spence was a non-factor in this game. He was overwhelmed in the run game by getting lost in the shuffle. His size at 6’0” 225 is a major detriment in stopping the run in the NFL and may be considered a safety by some NFL teams. Spence will need to work on getting off blocks to be considered before day three of the 2012 NFL Draft. The sweet spot of Spence’s draft position is somewhere in the 3rd round for a team in need of an athletic WILL LB.
